Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

greent

Oh Frugal - what a rollercoaster of a time you're having (((more hugs)))

lauren_1

Finally got my Healthy Start vouchers through, I applied for them at 12 weeks but they lost the application form and as I have never seen the same midwife twice the latest one refused to write a letter saying they have already signed a form at 12 weeks as I might be trying to defraud the system. Lost 16 weeks worth at £3.10 a week, not a huge difference but it certainly would have helped.

My alternator on my car has died (que men umming and ahhing under my bonnet whilst leaving my front door wide open whilst the heating is on full blast) not impressed, I am totally car-less now and even more in a mood as everyone says its the alternator, go to the scrap yard (the scrap yard is 3 miles away off a dual carriage way and i have noooo car) No one has offered to give me a lift, they just ask if i have it sorted yet.

My ctc has been cut from £330 a month to £86 due to overpayment (nice of them to tell me or give me some notice before just cutting it)

My 28 week midwife appointment tomorrow, I have made it clear that I am not very comfortable with my size/dates yet I continue to get fobbed off, on the fundal height chart i was measuring 20 at 24 weeks and was not even plotting on their centile charts (it says in large writing under that anyone plotting less than the 10th centile should be sent for a growth scan, let along someone who didnt even reach the 1st!)

Some good news, woke up to find a nice new shiney set of recycling bins and wheely bin...the little things do help.

NualaBuala

Morning everyone,

I'm sorry to hear of so many people feeling low or battling full on depression. Have been there myself on and off. Antidepressants hindered my recovery, actually made things a lot worse for me but I know most people have found them really helpful. What has helped me is meditation and nurturing my spirituality in general (crikey, I've become a right hippie :rotfl:) Ceridwen, I like your strategy of getting outside and sowing seeds - nature always makes me feel better somehow. And so does being productive - of course when I'm feeling really rubbish, being productive seems impossible. I also find music helps, especially when I sing alog with it while doing chores - got to pity my poor neighbours, hope they can't hear me! Anyway, I hope everyone finds something that helps feels better soon. Big group hug!:grouphug:

Welcome Kalojac and any other new folks or lurkers :wave:

Greent - thanks a mill for the fajita info.:T I don't have wine (sounds lovely though) but I have everything else (organic but not home grown - lucky you!), also some harissa powder which seems quite similar to fajita spice so I might give it a whirl. It'll probably be the end of the week as I am well-stocked up and have loads of food to get through! It's a nice feeling to have a full fridge.

Great news about your Dad Frugal but I'm sorry to hear about your Auntie. Even if you weren't close, it's always sad to lose someone I think - particularly when you've been so worried about your Dad's health. Big hugs to you and good luck with all your snow preparations.

Well I am trying hard not to get dragged down by all the news about Ireland's financial situation. Our Budget is in a couple of weeks and that's when I will know how much (or should I say little) money I have to live on and can set my budget. I'm nervous about it but worrying is futile so trying to put it out of my head. My plan is to keep occupied and spend as little as possible. So today in between chores I am doing an old jigsaw so I know if all the pieces are there before I offer it to the charity shop. I did one last week and they were delighted to get it so that made me feel good.

kalojac

Morning all

Completed a survey on valuedopinions this morning which should take my total to over £10 so will keep an eye on that being credited this week, so I can order an Amazon voucher, which will help towards christmas. Received my CO-OP dividend in the post today for £3 which won't buy much but will hopefully get a box of biscuits to my eldery neighbour who always takes out my wheelie bucket for me, and that will be the majority of his xmas sorted.

Using left over roast chicken tonight to make a curry for my and DH, the kids are having their friends over for tea so have been to iceland for supplies for that, came nicely in budget, relief.

Hugs to all who need them, will catch up with the posts tonight, better get back to the cleaning monday is my only day off - Kalojac

CRANKY40

Frugal sorry to hear about your auntie
Rosanna I wish you'd been my h/v. I asked mine about ideas for entertaining ds and she told me to get him a baby einstein dvd to watch. We never went back. She told the lady behind me who was having trouble with her baby's sleeping to watch Little Angels on tv as they had good ideas.
Lauren_1 If you're not happy go and see the doctor, or ring the hospital direct.

I am still decluttering this house. I have just put another bin bag of junk into my friend's trailer for him to take to the tip. My friend has been fixing the lock on an upstairs window for me. While I was in the kitchen this morning, I let the cats out 5 times - they kept coming back in through the open upstairs window. I know, more fool me. The slow cooker is on, with some chicken soup. Must be shaping up for winter if I'm fancying home made soup.

Mrs VP I had lots of debt that I built up before I met my dh. I never thought I'd meet anyone and get married as I was 34 when we met, so I didn't need to consider anyone else. It didn't matter while I was working, but once we decided to try for a baby I had to come clean as I didn't want to have to work full time really if I had a baby. He took it very well, and we remortgaged for most of the debts. I kept the smaller ones and carried on paying them out of my reduced wages. Well done for supporting Mr VP even though you probably feel like smacking him over the head with a blunt instrument.

Right, off to do some more slum clearance. Take care all of you.

starsandmoon

Have had an OS weekend food wise this week. Made a fab lamb casserole in the slow cooker on Friday with a bit of lamb lurking in the freezer, then Sat was cottage pie with whoopsie mince and Sunday was a huge piece of beef a friend gave me which has made 8 meals! Was taken in by one of Tesco's "deals". Princes orange juice BOGOF, couldnt see a price so assumed it was around 62p. Checked receipt at home £1.39!!!! so no cheaper then their own brand. That'l teach me! Noticed a lot more people shopping carefully. Most had lists, one couple were arguing over what coffee what the best value and another couple had a calculator. Havnt been in Tesco for a while and the prices havnt half gone up.

Hugs to those who are having difficult times.

Have you seen the weather forecast for this week!! Better get my wooly hat out. Here goes with the big heating bills!

Primrose

ceridwen wrote: »

Oh well...my thought for the day is having just read how Chinese speculators have driven up the price of garlic a LOT over last year or so and thought "Just as well I've been doing a bit of guerilla gardening - planting loads of 2 types of wild garlic round the area recently then. Hopefully it will come on stream for next year...:rotfl::rotfl:". Still got a bit more to do yet - I've been planting every suitable location within walking distance...

Well done Ceridwen, I do guerilla gardening with all the spare self-sown primroses in my garden as well as sprinkling foxglove seeds in the earth in public footpaths around here but planting garlic is a lot more practical. Don't think I'd do myself much good trying to eat the foxgloves.:eek:

dollydaydream07

haven't planned my shopping very well for this week - was hoping for mon/tues/weds to be NSD but i am having to go shopping today - haven't got any pack up stuff for DD for school, have run out of butter for baking, running low on milk and don't have any money so this should be a fun shopping trip - might have to raid DD's money box :( bad mummy

will be doing some craft stuff this afternoon though and making a few xmas cards for family!!

off to go and get wrapped up warm as it's freezing and i don't want to put the heating on

grandma247

Lauren
If you are in the least bit worried make them listen. It is your baby and you know how you feel.

kidcat

Morning everyone - wow there seems so much going on,

Frugal - great news re your dad, sorry about auntie though.

Lauren - contact your consultant at the hospital direct - they can book you in for a growth scan without MW, as for CTC - contact them and ask for overpayment to be taken back in smaller amounts as its causing you financial difficulty, to drop that amount seems way too much. If you are calm and reasonable on the phone they are likely to come to a reduced amount repayment, I think they attempt to take overpayments back over 6 months unless client calls and claims financial hardship - in that case they can take it over longer period.

Got DS6 off school today for an inset day - who ever heard of inset day mid term?? So I have written the day off - he needs watching like a hawk so impossible to get anything done, he has actually been very good though and we stopped on way home and had a treat - Ikea breakfast - cost me £1.99 for both of us, and was lovely to spend some time just sitting together and chatting etc. Then I chanced taking him with me to Tesco to collect an order I had forgotten to pick up (last day today) but he was so good I was able to grab the DW powder and butter that I had run out of, as a reward he got to have a ride on the cars outside. Now we are sat together on sofa watching Thomas Hero DVD, hes happy and so am I. Its been lovely no shouting or screaming just chat and laughter, its truly a good day!! And in the car I managed to sneak in some spelling practise, its amazing the amount of words he can spell yet his literacy skills are considered poor, he comes in lower than DD4 for literacy.